Deputy cleared in fatal shooting

Linda Camberdella told 911 dispatchers that her son will "hit a cop if a cop comes here," according to documents released by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office on Friday.

Within moments, Michael Camberdella lay dead outside the family home in suburban Boynton Beach — shot by the sheriff's deputy who responded to the call.

That deputy, William Goldstein, has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the shooting, the Sheriff's Office and Office of the State Attorney confirmed on Friday.

The deputy said he was "fearful for his life" when he was confronted by Camberdella, who was wielding a rubber mallet and hedge trimmers.

That's according to investigative findings released by the Sheriff's Office on Friday, which outlined the sequence of events:

At 9:22 a.m. Oct. 4, Linda Camberdella called 911 for help in dealing with Michael, who was not taking medication for his bipolar disorder.

Michael was armed with a mallet and would hit her if she told him who she was talking to on the phone, she said. He had put her in a chokehold and had hit her several times already, she said, adding that her son "went to get tools to hurt a cop" and will "use them on a cop if a cop comes near him."

Goldstein arrived to find Michael Camberdella standing by a stop sign near the house in the 9000 block of Tremezzo Lane. He was holding the mallet and shears.

After getting out of his patrol car with his service revolver in hand, he told Camberdella to drop the weapons, which he did. The deputy then told Camberdella to get on the ground.

But Camberdella began advancing on Goldstein. The young man reached into his waistband and started throwing "unknown objects" at the deputy.

"I was fearful for my life because he was coming at me, and I had no idea what he had," Goldstein told investigators, adding that "instincts just took over."

The unknown objects were later found to be rocks.

"There was no apparent way for the deputy to discern, as these events were unfolding, whether Michael Camberdella was throwing lava rocks or some other weapon," State Attorney Dave Aronberg wrote in a Feb. 27 letter to Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.

The letter concluded that no charges would be filed against the deputy.

Reached by phone on Friday afternoon, Linda Camberdella indicated the family would not accept that decision.

"I'm sorry, I have no comment," Linda Camberdella said. Before ending the call, she added, "This is not over."

The family, still grieving, also held a news conference Friday afternoon with their attorney Harry Shevin. In a news conference late last year, the family said they would bring a civil suit against the Sheriff's Office.